Cooktop appliances generally include heating elements for heating cooking utensils, such as pots, pans and griddles. A user can select a desired heating level, and operation of the heating elements is modified to match the desired heating level. For example, certain cooktop appliances include electric heating elements. During operation, the cooktop appliance operates the electric heating elements at a predetermined power output corresponding to a selected heating level.
Operating the electric heating elements at the predetermined power output corresponding to the selected heating level poses certain challenges. For example, such a method of operation may create an undesirable temperature differential between a temperature of the cooking utensil being heated by the heating element and a temperature of one or more food items positioned in the cooking utensil. Such an undesirable temperature differential may cause a portion of the one or more food items positioned in the cooking utensil to burn, while a remaining portion of the one or more food items remains uncooked.
Accordingly, a cooktop appliance with features for avoiding such undesired heating of a cooking utensil on the cooktop appliance would be useful. In particular, a cooktop appliance with features for managing a power output of heating elements of the cooktop appliance to avoid an undesirable temperature differential between a temperature of a cooking utensil and a temperature of one or more food items positioned within the cooking utensil would be particularly beneficial.